L’Espion is a “pièce du jeudi” (Thursday play) – a genre unique to the Théâtre Louis Richard in Roubaix. In 1904, Maurice Richard (Louis Richard’s son) convinced his father to open the theatre on Thursdays, which used to be a day off for school students. He outlined the framework of these Thursday plays, so as to establish their main characteristics. They were performed based on a minimal text and the action was even more condensed than in the usual plays of the Théâtre Richard (each act contained a few short sentences to explain the action without using dialogue). The plays were made up of 4 or 5 acts. Almost all Thursday plays were only played once.

This play alludes to an episode of the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871) – a conflict opposing France and an alliance of German states under Prussian leadership and which resulted in France being defeated and partially occupied by German troops.

The play is found page 44 of the Ms 204 publication, which gathers 107 Thursday plays written by Maurice and Louis Richard between 1908 and 1910. It is kept at the Médiathèque de Roubaix (Roubaix’s multimedia library)

The Prussians launch an attack on the French, who are forced to retreat on the road to Strasbourg. Desaix, a French general, comes up with a plan for a counterattack. Vaury tries to tell Guévan, a Prussian general, about the plan, but he fails to do so. The French counterattack is successful, Guévan is killed, and the Prussians are driven out. Vaury is executed for treason.